Practical Hints On Restoration

January 10, 1987|By KNT News Service

If you own a historic house, how do you know what to change and what to keep?

Bob Vila suggests this rule: When an item represents craftsmanship, such as plaster moldings, it should be saved for the integrity of the house. When it represents technology, such as a heating system or central vacuum, feel free to switch to today's better versions.

''Do hard research,'' Vila said. ''If you're planning on buying a house and it's the kind of thing where you're being pressured, don't buy it.

''You don't want to buy a house that needs a lot of fixing up until you've had the two or three weeks required to research exactly what it's going to cost.''

Here is what Vila says to do:

''Make a long list of every room in that house and every exterior facade and every other possible category of the house.''

''Find one or two roofing contractors who will come out and look at what the roof is like, and find out what the attic's like (so you know) whether you're going to have to put in tons of insulation.''

''Find out from a mechanical contractor whether the heating and cooling systems are OK, whether you're going to get water, whether a lead pipe service coming in from the street is going to poison little children, (because) you'll have to dig that up and replace it.''

And if you decide to buy the house, he would add, you should buy his book.